Return of Mount Hua Sect

“No, what kind of mountain is…”

Sometimes, there were such mountains. When viewed from afar, the height didn’t seem significant. Still, once you climbed it, the mountain had countless peaks, deep valleys, and protruding bumps here and there, forming a landscape that you could not even guess the end of.

“What is this?”

“That is why it is called the Hundred Thousand Mountains.”

Yoon Jong looked around and spoke calmly.

“The reason why the Demonic Cult used the mountains as their base is because it is far from the Central Plains and Murim, and also because the mountains are so deep and wide that finding them isn’t easy.”

“Ah.”

“This is just the start of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, but looking at the mountain’s appearance, I can see why it has become a battleground that decides the fate of the central plains.”

Listening to Yoon Jong’s words, Jo Gul looked at the mountain.

The final battle between the Demonic Sect with the Heavenly Demon at its center and the Central Plains with Mount Hua at its center.

“Great Mountain of Blood…”

“Right.”

Yoon Jong nodded his head. A voice with deep resonance flowed from his mouth.

“Time makes one forget many things. But there are some things you should never forget. We are able to live as we do now because of the people who risked their lives and fought.”

“…”

“We should never forget the ancestors of Mount Hua resting here. No disciple of Mount Hua must forget this.”

Jo Gul nodded and closed his eyes.

‘So unfamiliar.’

This mountainland felt so different from that of Mount Hua.

Although Mount Hua’s mountain slope was steep and high, it had a straightforward topography that hid nothing. But, although the mountain slopes here were gentle, he kept getting the feeling that something was hidden deep inside.

For those who have lived in Mount Hua, this place felt unfamiliar.

‘In a place like this…’

How did those who risked their lives feel when they fought in the unfamiliar land?

They must have known that they wouldn’t come back alive. Nevertheless, what kind of determination was it to throw away one’s life like it was nothing without even hesitating?

It was hard to even imagine.

“… I don’t get it, sahyung.”

Yoon Jong grinned as if he knew what Jo Gul meant.

“You will find out one day.”

And he, too, calmly scanned the black mountain ridge with his eyes.

“Let us hurry. If you are lazy, Chung Myung will come after you with his sword.”

“I wish it were that way.”

Jo Gul pouted.

“Anyway, that bastard is the best in the world at turning people upside down. He was usually so mean and harasses people, but now….”

Jo Gul couldn’t continue speaking and just let out a deep sigh.

‘It is better for him to just damn us!’

It was awkward to see Chung Myung all silent. It was even more unbearable with the expressionless face he had on.

Still, his stomach twisted because he couldn’t even hit Chung Myung.

“So we have to find it as quickly as possible.”

“…”

“Don’t worry. I am not the type of person to be swayed that easily.”

Jo Gul nodded slightly and looked around with harsh eyes.

“Let’s take a quick look then.”

“Let’s do that.”

Yoon Jong sighed softly as he watched Jo Gul walk ahead, stabbing the ground with the sword sheath.

Chung Myung’s condition was so bad that even Jo Gul was concerned.

‘I don’t know.’

Sometimes, Yoon Jong felt like Chung Myung was made of steel.

Before meeting Chung Myung, Yoon Jong was just a person who stayed in his place, didn’t do things he didn’t like, and waited for problems to pass.

To him, Chung Myung, who moved ahead destroying everything, sometimes seemed too extreme. At other times, he was the brightest because of that nature.

However, for the past few days, Yoon Jong felt as if he had glimpsed the inner vulnerability of Chung Myung, whose body seemed made of steel.

“…Damn it.”

Yoon Jong shook his head and stabbed the ground with his sword sheath.

“Who could it be?”

“Uh?”

Yu Yiseol looked back at Tang Soso, who was following her.

“The person we are looking for now.”

Tang Soso’s face was darker than usual.

“Graves or remains… since he said that, it must be someone who had something to do with Chung Myung sahyung, right?”

Yu Yiseol began to stare silently. A small voice came out of her mouth as she looked at the night sky.

“Relative.”

“…”

“It must be a relative.”

She seemed to know what that expression meant.

Yu Yiseol had also encountered a similar expression on another face a long time ago.

Someone who was lost because they had no power left.

“But it was a hundred years ago…”

“I don’t know.”

Yu Yiseol shook her head.

“What we need to know is that we need to find something. For sure.”

There was a strong determination in that voice.

Tang Soso looked at her.

Yu Yiseol wasn’t a person who usually spoke her opinion. In her heart, there was just the desire to get stronger and a sense of duty to protect Mount Hua.

‘It is my first time seeing this.’

The sight of her showing such enthusiasm for other people’s tasks was strange to Tang Soso, who was with her the entire time.

“We need to find it, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, then Chung Myung sahyung will return to normal. Fussing, swearing, getting angry….”

Tang Soso’s words became mumbled. She wondered if returning to normal was really a good thing. At that time, Yu Yiseol’s voice interrupted Tang Soso’s thoughts.

“No.”

“… Uh?”

Yu Yiseol suddenly stopped moving.

“Come back. Even if it cannot be found.”

“…”

“Come back like nothing happened. As usual.”

“… Sago.”

Yu Yiseol’s eyes frowned ever so slightly.

“So you have to find it. I don’t want to see that.”

Tang Soso knew what Yu Yiseol meant to say.

If it was Chung Myung, no matter what regrets remained inside, he would eventually return to his normal state. However, that meant only his external personality would be back to normal. At the same time, everything within his mind would still be stuck there.

‘The same as the past…’

She once again wondered how much she knew about the person called Chung Myung.

His monstrous strength, ridiculous decisiveness, violent and extreme nature, yet clean in actions at the same time.

But could she say that she knew Chung Myung by those things?

Until now, Tang Soso thought Yu Yiseol was the person whose intentions were the hardest to guess in Mount Hua. She was a person who was extremely sparing with her words, and because of that, she often had to guess what she was thinking.

But now that she thought about it, the person who was even tougher to decipher was Chung Myung.

Contrary to Yu Yiseol, he spoke non-stop, but it was rare for his true feelings to be revealed.

If Yu Yiseol hid herself in silence, Chung Myung obscured his intentions with numerous words and actions.

“Then sago, do you know what Chung Myung sahyung is thinking?”

Tang Soso was curious. She wondered if people who don’t reveal their true feelings have anything in common.

“No.”

But the answer she got back was different from what she expected.

“… right.”

“But.”

“Uh?”

Yu Yiseol quietly closed her mouth and then glanced back at Tang Soso.

“Should we know? Do we really need to know?”

“…”

“I don’t know what it is, but it is serious. And it is his task.”

The clouds cleared for a moment, and the moonlight appeared. The lips of Tang Soso curled slightly as she looked at Yu Yiseol.

“Me too! Me too! Sago!”

“Yes, me too.”

Tang Soso, feeling attached to Yu Yiseol, stayed close to her and charmingly held her. Yu Yiseol stumbled back.

“I will find it for sure! We will find it and tell that guy we found it and hand it over by taking something in return.”

“Expensive.”

“Yes, a very expensive cost.”

“It has to be expensive because he is rich.”

“Yes, very!”

The two traced the floor delicately with their sword sheaths.

‘I need to find it.’

In Tang Soso’s eyes, there was a strong resolve.

The same went for Yu Yiseol, but Tang Soso didn’t want to see Chung Myung returning to Mount Hua with slumped shoulders. It didn’t suit him.

‘Don’t worry, damn sahyung! I will find it at any cost!’

He had a strange feeling several times.

It was a moment when he suddenly felt something unfamiliar about that guy’s not-so-huge back.

But the times when Baek Cheon felt unfamiliar with Chung Myung’s back were usually when he was dealing with an opponent or standing in front of Baek Cheon.

At those times, Baek Cheon felt that Chung Myung had a depth to him that didn’t match his age. And because of that appearance, he was able to drive himself more.

But now…

‘I don’t even know how to explain this.’

Small?

No, it wasn’t that. But what…

Baek Cheon, trying to find the right words to speak, let out a soft sigh.

In the first place, trying to explain in words what he felt was futile.

Euk.

The sword of Chung Myung continued to pierce the floor.

Chung Myung was looking down, his gaze distant. The sight of him silently looking at the peaks gave Baek Cheon a sense of discomfort.

“How is it?”

He didn’t speak with any particular intention in mind; he just spoke.

If he stayed still, the distance between him and Chung Myung seemed to grow endlessly, so he almost said it without realizing it.

“Uh?”

Chung Myung turned his head and looked at Baek Cheon.

He didn’t seem any different from usual. It wasn’t the dark face that he showed on the way here; it was just an expressionless face.

But even so, the face didn’t seem like it always did; there was something unfamiliar about it. Baek Cheon, who wondered, thought maybe he was being overly sensitive now.

Chung Myung asked.

“What?”

“… we can find it, right?”

“I don’t know.”

Chung Myung chuckled at the question.

“I am trying to, but…”

He scratched the back of his head.

“You can tell from the condition of the book it has been around 100 years now. What is even more strange is if there is anything left.”

“… Do you think this is the vision of someone who participated in the war?”

“It has to be so.”

Baek Cheon, who was looking at Chung Myung, nodded.

“Right. I understand. Then let us find out more.”

As Baek Cheon started hitting the ground, Chung Myung asked.

“Sasuk.”

“Uh?”

“Why aren’t you asking?”

“… what?”

Chung Myung looked at Baek Cheon with a sullen expression as if he had some time now.

“I am sure you have a lot of questions.”

“I do.”

“Then why are you not asking them?”

“Because there is no need to.”

“… what does that mean?”

When Chung Myung grumbled, Baek Cheon shrugged his shoulders.

“If it is something worth explaining, you will.”

“…”

“If it isn’t something to explain, you won’t.”

“…”

“So why would I push you? It is up to you.”

“No, but a human will….”

“Forget it.”

Baek Cheon shook his head.

“When you have time and can explain, then do it.”

“…”

“Instead.”

“Uh?”

“If you are going to lie, just don’t. Because it is fine.”

Chung Myung stared at Baek Cheon in silence. Baek Cheon didn’t back down and looked at him as he said,

“And do not be mistaken.”

“Uh?”

“This is your job, but it is also my job as a great disciple of Mount Hua. Finding the remnants of an ancestor and recovering the remains is a task incomparably more important than anything else.”

“…”

“I am doing what I have to do as a disciple of Mount Hua. So if you are going to bother me, do it later. I am busy now.”

After finishing speaking, Baek Cheon passed by Chung Myung and walked ahead. A hollow smile appeared on Chung Myung’s lips as he looked blankly at Baek Cheon’s back.

“Dong-Ryong, you know.”

Before his eyes, the Hundred Thousand Mountains were dark. Chung Myung kept looking there.

At that time, Baek Cheon looked back.

“Come quickly.”

“…”

“What are you doing?”

“… nothing.”

Chung Myung clenched his fist without realizing it.

-Come quickly.

It wasn’t nothing.

But… if only he in the past could have said those meaningless words.

Then…

Chung Myung bowed his head slightly and took steps towards Baek Cheon, who was ahead of him.